Expanding Opportunities

2012-01-21T00:15:00.001-08:00

Yeah! I have arrived here in Kenya and picked up our volunteer, Sandy Squire. Now on to the work!

2012-01-18T10:48:00.001-08:00

All packed and ready to head to Kenya in the morning. Join us.... Check out http://ping.fm/2szg0 for the journeys scheduled between January and April.

2012-01-13T13:30:00.001-08:00

Bev Stone is speaking about Philanthropy and Wellness and the activities of Expanding Opportunities in Kenya on Jan 14th, 2:00-3:00 at the Wellness Center on 39 Main Street downtown Belfast. 930-8012 FMI

2012-01-08T02:23:00.001-08:00

Passed on from a friend: "Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, whispering that it will be happier."

~Alfred,Lord Tennyson

2012-01-03T14:14:00.001-08:00

Heading back to Kenya: Donations of gently used clothing, black leather dress shoes, garden pruners and loppers, led twinkle lights, flashlights, etc greatly appreciated- info@expandingopportunities.org

2012-01-02T06:40:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Expanding Opportunities looks forward to a wonderful and successful year. Friend us on FACEBOOK or visit the website at http://www.exop.org

2011-12-16T04:57:00.001-08:00

There is still time! Visit www.ainamoja.com

2011-12-09T02:49:00.001-08:00

Consider giving the gift or sponsorship of a needy child in Kenya. A card and instructions of how to make optional connections with the child will be sent to your beneficiary. FMI: http://ping.fm/TCIGT or http://ping.fm/slqNr

2011-12-09T02:06:00.001-08:00

Ana Moja will be at Trinity Parish in Lenox, Mass. Saturday and Sunday. Come see the NEW things just in from Kenya and hear about the projects!

2011-12-02T10:48:00.001-08:00

The CISTERN is DONE!!! AND It is RAINING!!! LET IT RAIN!! Pictures will follow...

Millicent

2011-11-27T02:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight as I sit in my tent, warm and dry, listening to the soft patter of rainfall on the tent roof, Millicent and many like her lie curled up on a cement floor dying with no blanket, pillow – alone and rejected.

Millicent’s husband died of HIV/AIDS related infections. Millicent is HIV+ also. She traveled to her husband’s home with her two small children, ages 6 and 3, only to be rejected. She traveled to Nakuru to the slums to eke out some sort of living for herself and her children before the virus took her away from them.

The slums are not an easy place for an HIV+ person. It was not long before opportunistic infections raged. In stepped Benard. This Kenyan has dedicated his life to HIV/AIDS victims. He built a support group, and helps in any way he can by visiting, transporting people to the hospital, bringing food and blankets and other necessities when possible. He found Millicent on her mattress unable to function. The 6-year-old boy was out begging and stealing food for himself, Mom and his younger sister. These two small children were attempting to care for all their Mom’s needs.

Benard , fearing for the Mom and the children. Thieves of any age are beaten and killed. Young girls of any age are raped and abandoned. Millicent was in obvious need of medical care. Millicent is taken to the hospital where they being tests and medication.

Benard located a widow with 4 of her own children in her one room home and convinces her to accept the other two children while the Mother is ill. I hear the story and am moved to help these children with some food. Two young children in the USA had saved their pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters in a bank and gave those funds to me before I left to feed children. I also mentioned the possibility of the children joining JWHS.

Fast Forward a week or two. …. The hospital determines that Millicent has no money and will probably not recover. They discharge her and use her much needed bed for a patient who will recover. Millicent has nowhere to go. She cannot pay her bill; the landlord reclaimed her house. She is desperately ill, has no food, no bed, and no blanket. She moves herself to the grass courtyard of the hospital during the day to sit in the sunshine and be warmed. Then at night she slips into the ward to sleep curled up in a corner on the floor waiting to die. Her body will be taken to the public mortuary to be buried with the other paupers.

Millicent is one of the lucky ones as she has Benard and the support group to bring her milk to drink and soothe her thrush-ridden mouth.

I fought being drawn into the family. I longed to remain at arms distance so I would not have to see, would not have to feel.

But here I am trying to bring you in with me. Trying to help you see and feel this reality of life in Kenya; this reality of poverty and disease.

My heart hurts and rages – can there be nowhere a poor person can find dignity in death? Where a person can feel love and concern and value and peace as they leave the earth - a bed, a blanket, a sip of milk to cool the ulcerated mouth and coat the empty stomach?

It is easy for me to say this is not my mission, this is not my calling, but whose calling is it? For less than $200.00 per month, a simple room could be rented, furnished, stocked and staffed for one suffering human being. For less than $1,000 per month a house could be rented, furnished, stocked and staffed to care for up to half dozen of these rejected human beings where they could find a few months of love and peace before they face their eternity.

I am reminded of the story of a man named Lazarus. Lazarus was a beggar in life. He came to a rich man’s gate full of sores and desiring to be fed the crumbs from the rich man’s table but was refused. The beggar died and was carried by the angels to heaven. The rich man also died and in hell he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham with Lazarus . He cried “Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool my tongue.”

Abraham said,” Remember in life you received fine things and Lazarus evil things. Now he is comforted and you are tormented. But besides this, there is a great chasm between us so no one may pass…..”

There are so many needs in this world, real and perceived. So many it is often overwhelming and we harden our hearts so not to feel the brokenness around us. But we are meant to be broken by the things that break the heart of God.

I hope that if you have read this far you will allow your heart to open to see, to feel to break to see Lazarus begging for crumbs from the table; to see mother and fatherless children hoping for life and love; to see Millicent curled up on the cold cement.

May this story first bring a deep sense of gratitude; “But for the Grace of God go you or I”.

Then secondly, may this story stir you TO DO. Do open your eyes and heart to see the pain around you. Do give thanks for what you have. Do pray to see your role in the lives of the lonely, desperate, despairing, hungry or dying in this world . Do – DO something – the smallest act is never too little.

To read of some of the things Expanding Opportunities does, please visit www.exop.org or find our FACEBOOK page at www.facebook.com/ExpandingOpportunities

2011-11-11T19:48:00.001-08:00

The High School boys are HOME! First came John, who has just completed his KSCE. Now begins the long wait for the results. Meanwhile we are job hunting. Then came Kiplangat. It is a full house and all current boys are at home. I wish all of you sponsors could be here to see the family you have created. ASANTE SANA - Thank you.

2011-10-19T21:34:00.001-07:00

The Rabondo Community Distance Learning Center completed its first week with 39 visitors!

Back in Kenya

2011-10-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

Well I think I am the world's worst blogger... The last post was my return to the USA in April. Well summer was great! Camp Forest had a wonderful year. Now I have returned to Kenya. The first thing on the agenda was the Distance Learning Center in Rabondo. I was amazed at the speed the center came together. There is a long way to go but everything has a beginning. There are two computers, a small library. The Center offers computer services such as scanning and printing, access to the internet, short courses both free and fee based and a small lending library.
Next on the agenda is the completion of the Cistern! This will be so wonderful. Supplies have been delivered and now we await the contractor today!
The boys at JWHS are well and happy. The property is teeming with food crops! Last year saw two high school graduates and this year there is one more! He is taking his final exams right now.
In addition to Dini, Expanding Opportunities is now sponsoring two additional girls who ran away to be in school rather than be married.
We are facing challenges with the vehicles but do hope to have all the requirements for inspection completed.

2011-06-06T17:09:00.001-07:00

Remember: http://ping.fm/2Tpwb

2011-04-07T22:46:00.001-07:00

It is 1:42 am and I have finally arrived in Brooks, Maine. Nice journey with a little time in Amsterdam for a walk and a cup of coffee. The house is standing. Pipes burst so no water and grape arbor on the ground but Home. Back to the work on this side of the ocean.

2011-04-05T19:53:00.001-07:00

Flying back to USA today. So sad to leave. So much more to do. Looking forward to Maine but not the cold that I hear is still there.

2011-03-26T07:47:00.001-07:00

Some things change. Here I am sitting in Africa in a van waiting and sending this post...Some things never change. -- Luke has been swallowed up by a garage while I sit here and wait.

2011-02-23T06:50:00.001-08:00

Distance Learning Center project is now posted on Global Giving, take a look http://ping.fm/66V7F

2011-01-24T19:03:00.001-08:00

Benard, one of our first High School grads at the JWHS, has a job!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T04:20:00.000-08:00

A Thanksgiving Message from Kenya -- One of "OUR BOYS" at the Joseph Waweru Home School sent this email...
Hi Bev First i miss you alot. Secondly thanks alot for the far you helped me reach. I may not be able to express my joy but let say thank you very very much.May God see what you have done in my life the far we have come.The road to success is paved with alot of challenges but we need not quit coz winners and determined people never give up...I Love to be in this organization despite the challenges it faces but i believe it serve as a turning point for people like me....Pass my greetings to all the well wishers who have been helping us both financially and even spiritually by there prayers.We thank alot the help they have been offering to us.May God bless them as they sacrifice so that we may we get what we couldn't be able to get. Blessed are who remember the needy.Blessed are your families and your hearts.

What a wonderful way to create a Happy Thanksgiving!

Caring for Kenya Benefit Concert with Boom, Bang, Twang - Bangor Daily News

2010-11-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Caring for Kenya Benefit Concert with Boom, Bang, Twang - Bangor Daily News

2010 WISH LIST

2010-10-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

Many people ask us what we need in Kenya. The joy of donors to clean out their closets or shop for items to bless children in Kenya is admirable and the list of wants is always endless. Though luggage is limited, we carry all that is allowable.
This year I asked our staff to prioritize their wish list of items they would like us to carry to Kenya in January.

Just in from Cate in Kenya at the Joseph Waweru Home School:
Home shoes, school shoes, book bags-back packs, warm jackets/sweaters, work gloves, aprons, shorts, home trousers, T-shirts, socks, medical supplies-deworming tabs, first aid kit, piritons,(I have a question in about this one.),hand sanitizers, kitchen supplies-jikos, hot pots, pot holders, hard sufurias (not sure what these are), covers, wooden cook spoons, pencils, pens, rubbers(erasers), paper, hats-warm ones,
Ohh,how can we forget about good old Cate? She wants Dental floss, CD player,wall hooks (glue on) ,Manchester united jersey or scarf ( a soccer team).
--------
Bev's additions to the wish list to carry - shake, solar, wind up or battery flashlights, Bibles, children's books, plumbing snake,
--------
Peter's list will be along soon.

If you want to donate any of these things for us to carry, please get them to
Expanding Opportunities
84 Payson Road
Brooks, Maine 04921
before the end of December, 2010 and we will carry as much as we are able.

THANK YOU -- BLESS YOU --

2010-09-26T16:37:00.001-07:00

YEAH!! YEAH!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU!! We are now secured on Global Giving!! -- It is all thanks to you donors! What a great surprise on returning from a good day at the
Common Ground Fair

2010-09-22T15:37:00.001-07:00

Yeah! we secured the number of donors - now we need $1025.00 to secure a position on Global Giving and and additional $1,500 to meet our project goal! I see the FINISH LINE!! Please give us a final PUSH! http://ping.fm/pVVRg

2010-09-18T08:50:00.001-07:00

Only 10 more donors and $1,665 to secure our place!! http://ping.fm/NafcG Please donate at least $10.00, $45.00 and we send you a Maasai Bracelet.

2010-09-16T13:41:00.001-07:00

There is still more time on Bonus Day. Please donate at least $10.00 at http://ping.fm/ABRfM

2010-09-15T14:05:00.001-07:00

YEAH! 29 Donors now!! Only 21 more to go!! Please help us meet the 50 donors we need for this Challenge by giving at least a $10.00 donation! http://ping.fm/vfy5j

2010-09-15T03:48:00.001-07:00

Updatehttp://ping.fm/xyxai We are still at 24 donors. We need 50 to complete this challenge, please give at least $10.00 to help children in Kenya and allow us to post any of our projects on GlobalGiving. Thanks

2010-09-14T04:22:00.001-07:00

Two organizations have now completed. - Please help us complete this Challenge. http://ping.fm/eop45 I will stop posting this as soon as we have met the Challenge. Please donate at least $10.00.

2010-09-11T15:31:00.001-07:00

Saturday night! Before you head out - go to http://ping.fm/1UFEx and donate $10.00 for African Children to eat then go have a good time.

2010-09-10T15:37:00.001-07:00

Thank you again. We now need 28 donors to reach our 50 donors. You can read the lightly edited words of one of our children in the Home at http://ping.fm/gRJDO click on reports. Please consider feeding a child for a week by donating at least $10.00.

2010-09-09T15:25:00.001-07:00

THANK YOU!! Only 31 more people to meet our requirement for 50 donors! If you have not donated please consider at least a $10.00 donation.
http://ping.fm/FPU6a It takes about 3 minutes and does sooooo much! Then tell your friends... THANKS

2010-09-09T02:56:00.001-07:00

THANK YOU! We are now in position 16! We CAN do this. If you have not yet donated please join in with a donation of at least $10.00. Help us win this CHALLENGE! http://ping.fm/gpsRl

2010-09-07T04:19:00.001-07:00

We are still in the running!! Help us get to the top! We are number 35. Please give at least $10.00. It is quick and easy and does SO MUCH! http://ping.fm/VX2Iw

2010-09-05T14:07:00.001-07:00

I'm Back! Donors took a holiday too. We dropped our position, please consider donating at least $10.00. http://ping.fm/27S4R It will help so much more than you can imagine!

2010-09-03T15:20:00.001-07:00

ARGH! Dropped below position 20. Off line for the weekend. Please share the post with friends and consider giving at least $10.00 http://ping.fm/a894o

2010-08-31T15:59:00.001-07:00

The Global Giving Challenge! Help Children in Kenya; Help us raise funds for all our projects; Help us gain matching funds and awards. Please Give Now! http://ping.fm/okeS9

2010-08-31T15:57:00.001-07:00

The Global Giving Challenge! Help Children in Kenya; Help us raise funds for all our projects; Help us gain matching funds and awards. PLEASE Give Now! http://goto.gg/6107

2010-08-31T15:54:00.001-07:00

The Global Giving Challenge! Help Children in Kenya; Help us raise funds for all our projects; Help us gain matching funds and awards. PLEASE

2010-08-30T04:38:00.001-07:00

The African Child - A Moment in Time - Bev Stone - Monday, August 30, 6-7:30pm, Belfast Public Library, Belfast, Maine - Come on down!

The Real Kenya by Katy Corcoran

2010-08-24T05:50:00.000-07:00

This Blog is actually a reflection by a traveler on a recent Missions Trip to Kisumu, Kenya. It was shared by my friends Wayne and Mary Lynne\ McLemore and shared with you by permission of Katy. The words in BOLd are my accent.
The Real Kenya by Katy Corcoran

I have two experiences that I want to share with you. They are very different experiences, but both are very real. I believe it is important for people’s eyes to be opened (as mine were) to the reality of the living conditions of and people in Kisumu, Kenya.(many other places in Kenya as well)
Poverty. On Monday, our team hosted the first pastor’s conference of the week at Pastor Joshua’s church. We started out the morning, as usual, with children arriving to the conference several hours before it was to begin. They were so anxious and excited to hear our stories about Jesus, sing songs, play games, etc. The morning was quite normal. Katie, Jandy and I taught the children “The joy of the Lord is my strength. Nehemiah 8:10” and two new songs, “I’m in the Lord’s Army” and “God is so Good” with hand motions. Larry told the children the story about the four friends who cut a hole in the roof so that their friend could see Jesus. The children also taught us several new songs and games. We let the children have some free time to play soccer, football, or Frisbee. Then, it was time for lunch. The children in line began pushing and shoving to be the first for lunch. We settled the children down and began to serve them lunch. Then the team members went to eat their lunch. As we were finishing lunch, we saw some children by the fence. There had been leftovers and one of the boys had obtained a plate. Five boys began fiercely grabbing for the food on the plate. They shoveled hands full of rice in their mouth at a time. Then they began tussling over a water bottle that a church member had given one of the boys. I was witnessing the effects of true hunger and poverty at that moment. They had pushed and shoved to be first in line because they wanted to make sure they received food. They shoveled hands full of rice in their mouths because some of them had no idea when they would eat next. They fought over the water bottle because they do not have clean drinking water or containers to collect water. I will never forget that scene. I wanted to tell that story because it is the reality of the poverty in Kisumu. The houses and shops are mud and stick walls with dirt floors. There is no running water. Most people do not have electricity. Their clothes and shoes are tattered and torn. There are few jobs. There is little money. There is very little food. That is their reality.
Love and Jesus. I was overwhelmed every day by the outpouring of love from the Kenyan people, and how they loved to talk about Jesus. Saturday, Mary Lynn and Wayne hosted a luncheon for the Kenyan pastors and our team. Each of the pastors greeted us with a handshake, smile, and hug. I sensed these pastors truly and honestly loved each one of our team members, although we had just met. We showed the Jesus’ film on Saturday night. The members of Pastor Joshua’s church all greeted us with hugs, handshakes, kisses, and smiles. Every adult we met at each of the pastor’s conferences was the same. They would go out of their way to make us feel welcomed and loved. Each child would want us to shake his/her hand. The children wanted us to hug them and hold their hand while we sang. They wanted to sit in our laps. The children didn’t know us, and I could sense that they loved us. This happened the entire week that our team was in Kisumu with everyone we met. I realized that they loved us and showed love to us because we are their brothers and sisters in Christ. I was challenged to show my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ unconditional love and support as I was shown in Kenya. Also, they were all excited to talk to us about Jesus. The children would ask us to tell them Bible stories during their free time. They would cheerfully recite their memory verses and perform songs for us. The adults would inquire about our salvation experience: how old were we, what church, how our life was changed, any challenges. They would share all of this information with us also. They would ask us how God has blessed our lives. They would share earnestly how God has blessed their lives. They would share about hardships and how God overcame them. They would ask about our church in America and tell us they would be praying for us. And they would ask us to pray for them and their church. Through all of the conversations and experiences I had, I was challenged to speak more openly about Jesus and my relationship with Him.
Of course, there are countless other experiences I could share, and it was difficult to narrow down. But I know that I am a different person because of my trip. Prayerfully, I touched at least one life while I was in Kenya. And I strive to touch many other lives at home…

2010-08-24T05:26:00.001-07:00

No Rain!! A wonderful evening in Belfast for hte Street Festival. Thank you all who bought Iced Tea and sweets to help the Camp forest Campership fund.

2010-08-23T05:01:00.001-07:00

Hold off the rain! Belfast Street Festival is tonight starting at 5 pm. Expanding Opportunities will have its Bake Sale outside the Working Art Gallery on Main Street. Aina Moja Shop will be offering 20% off!

2010-08-21T16:38:00.001-07:00

Thank You for your support at the Bake Sale today. We will have a REPEAT performance at the Belfast Street Festival on Monday starting at 5 pm. See you there!! How about a slice of Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

2010-08-20T15:37:00.001-07:00

BAKE SALE!!! Iced Tea and Baked Goodies Benefit Expanding Opportunities - outside the Working Art Gallery in Belfast, Maine Saturday - Aug 20! STOP BY -

2010-08-14T12:00:00.001-07:00

WANTED: Book Bags - While you are preparing for BACK TO SCHOOL - The children in Kenya are in need of Book Bags - New or Used. - If you can help - Call 1-207-722-3708; email info@expandingopportunities.org; or ship to Expanding Opportunities, 84 Payson Road, Brooks, ME 04921

2010-07-25T05:07:00.001-07:00

The Micky Challenge - Use PayPal? - go to http://ping.fm/6CZy7

2010-07-24T14:02:00.001-07:00

Join the Micky challenge on Facebook http://ping.fm/FQ6dP
Donate at least $1.00 to Help us sustain the Children's Home.

2010-07-23T19:20:00.001-07:00

Announcing Service Journey 2011!
You can volunteer at any time but between January and April you can serve in Kenya and have an African Adventure with Bev. Visit www.exop.org/journey for more information or email info@expandingopportunities.org

2010-07-07T05:02:00.001-07:00

Aina Moja will be at the Cultural Survival Bazaar at Kripalu in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, July 17 and 18. Hope to see some of you there! For a preview visit http://www.ainamoja.com

2010-07-02T16:36:00.001-07:00

Camp Forest will have a float in the July 4th Parade in Brooks, Maine. Past, present and future campers are welcome to ride or walk with us. Everyone else come and watch the annual festive atmosphere of a small town in Maine.

2010-06-21T06:26:00.001-07:00

Volunteer Meeting at Belfast, Maine City Park, July 24, 4:30 pm at the Gazebo. Current volunteers and interested potential volunteers are invited. FMI 1-207-722-3708 or info@expandingopportunities.org

2010-06-19T13:53:00.001-07:00

Adam Stone of Camp Forest will be at the Belfast, Maine Library on Monday from 6 â€“ 7:30pm. He and Bella Luz Maldonado will have hands on demonstrations for children, and discuss about the importance of immersion in nature. Camp Forest is a wilderness Day and Expedition Camp in Brooks, Maine, blending the Amazon Rainforest, African Bush and the back woods of Maine while teaching hand on survival skills and love of the forest.

2010-06-09T14:09:00.001-07:00

"If you want to see the true measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." J.K. Rowling (shared with me- i pass it on)

2010-06-05T07:25:00.003-07:00

TAKE A SEAT
The dreaded words of Kenya
TAKE A SEAT
Five minutes Five hours â€“ all the same
TAKE A SEAT
No action appears to be happening
TAKE A SEAT
Lunch has come and gone
TAKE A SEAT
Alone on the bench
TAKE A SEAT
Crowded like sardines in a can
TAKE A SEAT
I grow old and cobwebs gather
TAKE A SEAT

2010-06-05T07:25:00.001-07:00

Introducing The Expanding Opportunities Visa Platinum Card

2010-06-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

Introducing The Expanding Opportunities Visa Platinum Card

2010-06-02T04:50:00.001-07:00

News from Kenya: our collaborating CBO in Rabondo got a request for further information from the Safaricom Grant for the Distance Learning Center! Pray for positive results!

2010-06-02T04:49:00.001-07:00

News from Kenya: Our collaborating CBO submitted a grant application for building the Ariemet-Kulea Girl's Rescue Center! Pray for a positive response!!

2010-05-18T15:35:00.001-07:00

Tuesday-be in the first 5,000 people to download the tool bar and we get $5,000! Click this link.
http://ping.fm/okAw7

2010-05-18T15:33:00.001-07:00

http://ping.fm/S7xkc will donate $1 for each toolbar that is downloaded from each unique IP address to the user's designated cause, EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES - up to a maximum of $5,000.
2. The contest runs from May 19th at 12 noon to May 21st at 12 noon Eastern.
Just spread the word and get your supporters to add our toolbar to their browser and for each download, we'll donate a dollar to your cause! It's that simple! Keep in mind, there's a $5,000 limit, so make sure your supporters are some of the first 5,000 people to get to the site!
The good news is that once people download your toolbar, your organization, EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES, will make money virtually every time they search the web or shop online at any of our 1,400 partner stores (from Amazon to Staples). They may even save money as the toolbar also links to coupons and free shipping offers.

2010-05-17T12:38:00.001-07:00

MEET US at the Green Festival in Chicago Booth 326
http://ping.fm/I9nXQ

2010-05-05T06:23:00.001-07:00

ASANTE SANA! African drumming, dinner, dancing,
and musicLocation:U.U. Church Belfast, MaineTime:6:00PM Friday, May 14th -- Great Night!1 Great fundraiser for our boys monthly support!!

2010-05-03T04:18:00.001-07:00

ASANTE SANA! Benefit Drumming, Dinner, Dancing and Music. May 14th, 6-10 pm, Belfast, Maine at the UU Church on Miller St, Entrance $10.00, Optional Buffet $8.00. See you there!

2010-04-30T03:05:00.001-07:00

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY - Save 40% - One Day Sale Only at www.ainamoja.com

2010-04-21T16:37:00.001-07:00

Be sure to stop by the Camp Forest Lemonade Stand on Saturday 10 am - 10 pm in Belfast, Maine.
The Free Range Music Festival
http://ping.fm/hZElg

2010-04-21T03:10:00.001-07:00

ONLY 4 weeks UNTIL CHICAGO GREEN FESTIVAL!
Mark Your Calendars! May 22, 23 at Navy Pier. FREE TICKET OFFER!! http://ping.fm/uvuZM

2010-03-29T12:10:00.001-07:00

Super day at 2 schools. Any SDA's or others out there want to help out a school? The MERE SDA School in Kenya is a great school that needs lots of help in several ways. Contact info@expandingopportunities.org for more info.

2010-03-23T00:33:00.001-07:00

The Coastal Journey begins tomorrow! Keep us in your prayers and on your mind as we negotiate Kenya's long and speeding road to Mombasa and back! Kwaupanga here we come! www.exop.org

2010-03-17T21:13:00.001-07:00

No choice about marriage and risks the murder of her child at birth. Please read http://ping.fm/Y1DvK Support construction of the Ariemet-Kulea Girl's Rescue Center. www.exop.org

2010-02-23T03:10:00.001-08:00

ASANTE! Megan has just delivered a wonderful donation from Nicole for the boys. We were able to buy buckets, towels, uniforms, sandals and cups!! ASANTE!!

2010-02-18T00:22:00.001-08:00

Hope you don't mind my bringing another need. A very bright boy is unable to attend high school for lack of $100.00. Immediate need of $70.00 for uniform, books remainder $30.00 for fees. www.exop.org donate link

2010-02-14T02:33:00.001-08:00

Water, Water, nowhere nor any drop to drink. Anyone want to help? $67.00 buys a truck of fresh drinking water for our children's home and garden. www.exop.org donation link. Thanks!

2010-02-11T20:31:00.001-08:00

Thorns and Dust
Cement and Steel
All covered in sunshine and smiles

2010-02-11T05:40:00.001-08:00

Busy Busy Busy in Kenya - Garden is being harvested, goats are giving milk, struggling to pay all the high school boys' school fees, challenges being met - Keep us on your mind and in your prayers.

2010-02-05T13:51:00.001-08:00

Arrived in Nairobi ! All is well - Warm - noisy - friendly as usual. Now to get some sleep

2010-02-04T07:43:00.001-08:00

Got a little time on your and and want some fun reading? Check out Ellie Honan's Blog. She has been volunteering with Rabondo Community Project and Expanding Opportunities. http://ping.fm/9hw2e

4-year-old bride for price of beaded necklace

2010-02-03T05:04:00.000-08:00

This is an excerpt from an article in the Daily Nation. Expanding Opportunities is working with Josephine Kulea to construct the Ariemet-Kulea Girl's Rescue Center. Pleae read the exerpt, click on the link for the full article and consider. For more information about how you can help,email info@expandingopportunities.org.

4-year-old bride for price of beaded necklace

Ms Josphine Kulea, a child activist, talks to girls aged between 4 and 12 years old after they were rescued from FGM and early marriage in Samburu last week.
In a remote part of Samburu, four-year-olds are neither attending school nor have they an inkling of video and computer games that their urban counterparts take so much for granted.
In the villages of Kipsing location, Ol Donyiro Division, 100 kilometres from Isiolo Town, four-year-old Itoms is on the run; first from her own parents, who want her circumcised before marrying her off for 10 cattle, and from Samburu morans (Maasai warriors), who for a beaded necklace called saen, are free to have sex with a girl barely out of her diapers.
Itoms turns five this year. Yet, according to Samburu tradition, she is old enough to fetch bride-price for her father and become a wife to a man seven times her age. She had already been booked for sex and eventual marriage to a 27-year-old Moran, in a common ritual called Aisho saen (wearing a necklace).
Full article - Go to the Daily Nation , February 3 or click here- http://www.nation.co.ke/News/regional/-/1070/850622/-/8pe6rd/-/index.html

2010-01-23T05:43:00.001-08:00

Education transforms lives. Our HOME in Kenya has four in High School and three waiting. Want to help? Click a Donate button on www.exop.org Enter “School Fees” as the comment.

2010-01-18T05:21:00.001-08:00

Show your support for the victims of the earthquake disaster in Haiti by wearing red on January 19. See the event post on FACEBOOK - http://ping.fm/XqflR?eid=251397501444&ref=mf

Forgotten People

2010-01-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

Forgotten People

Northern Kenya is a land of vast expanses of dry acacia bush, and dusty clay, with a rugged, mountainous rocky backdrop. Hidden in its seemingly deserted and wild immensity lie many small villages, a thousand or so people in each living in small mud houses; living close to the land; in harmony and agony with the forces of nature. They are pastoralists, no longer roaming the length and breath of Africa but confined to smaller and drier spaces. In many cases they are a forgotten people. The road to their land is a crumbling hint at days long gone when there was a tar road. Now there is a small twisted and pitted path of tar in the middle of the road, more treacherous to traverse than the dirt trucking trails along the sides but beware of the deep erosion that can catapult you down the side of the mountain to be found in pieces at the bottom of the ravine.

But let us return to the people. In most areas of Kenya, you see signs of development. Buildings being built or repaired, roads being repaired and constructed, houses, people, vehicles. But in some areas, the people gather in the main building of the village, the church. Dressed in a mix of western second hand clothes or more traditional kanga and blanket, they laugh and sing and chat and cry. They are drawn close for protection, drawn close for support. The effects of global warming have reached those whose lives for centuries have been close to the land and in harmony with it. Now they suffer.

Most seek hope in their young people, in education. But where are the schools? These forgotten people have little or no access to education. They are proud of the school the Red Cross came to build and struggle to find the funds to send their child to school.

“Madam, this boy would like to speak to you”. He is 13 and in Class 5. His English is perfect. Please help me, my mother is going to take me from school to help with the younger children. Top in his class and performing better than many in more developed schools, he desires education.

Primary children walk sometimes more than 6 kilometers one way to go to school each day! Lucky to make it through Class 8, your hope dies. After Class 8 there is nowhere to go. The closest high school is 23 kilometers away! The cows and goats need to be grazed for survival. The cost of transportation and boarding school fees is beyond the means of most. The economy is in goats.

In some areas, the government Community Development Funds are active. Schools, dispensaries, and roads are being constructed and large signboards announcing the construction through CDF Funds and the constituency. In other areas live the forgotten people. Many of those who have traveled beyond their village, return to state, “We do not live in Kenya”.

The reasons for forgotten people are many: sensitive, political and remote but a key to the solution lies in education. A literate population is an empowered population. As global warming, country boundaries, governmental regulations, and even tourism have forced them to enter the larger world, so they need the tools to defend, protect and control their village. Education will allow their lifestyle choices to be theirs.

If you would like more information or to help contact us.
www.expandingopportunities.org -- info@expandingopportunities.org

2010-01-03T19:55:00.001-08:00

DRY HOPE
The wind comes in the night rattling the open flaps of my tent. Is that rain? The long waiting dry hopes for rain. Crinkling, electric wind but no rain, moist winds teasing at the thirsty ground is picking any remaining moisture from the soil to tease another waiting ear.

Gotta get it OUT!

2009-12-30T04:09:00.000-08:00

Gotta Get It OUT!
There is a frustration that builds in a volunteer in Africa. Sometimes it just has to come out.
It may not be the rational response; it may not indicate time for a change but it is raw emotion - so here it is.
Gotta Get it Out!
By Nobody who is Somebody like Anybody else and who happens to be from USA.
I need to write but don't know the beginning. Maybe there is no beginning or maybe the beginning is too far away.
Why am I here? The simple answer, Because God told me to and until He tells me differently, I stay. But have I already overstayed? Am I too cold and hurt and jaded to stay?
Four thousand Kenya Shillings, 4,000/=, to do the job you are paid to do. " Madam, it is your skin color". To be a member of the race that caused hurt and pain to many; the race that held the power for so long, carries with it a discrimination of its own. Deep hurts long carried and ingrained in culture.
I am bringing food to YOUR orphans, yet you cannot provide a vehicle, security, or accommodation, three things that cost you very little in terms of funds. I did not colonize you- no one living today did. I did not take your land or water or cows and goats. You hold your hand out to me but it is your own people who enslave you - stealing money from you and squandering it on themselves while I carry food to your orphans. It is my pleasure. No one told me to - no one even asked me to. So why should I have expectations? So why does it bother me that you do not help? Why does it hurt so much?
Does hurting me because of my skin color make up for the centuries of hurt by others? Can we not join hands to make a difference? Why is the only time the hand is out is to obtain personal gain?
My passionate hurt of last night is spent. One more cut to the human heart. One more peek into the heart of others.
It is good to see into the heart and soul of others; to be vulnerable enough for them to see mine. How else will we overcome the collective hurts to heal the cavernous scars of history? - To rise above - The other option is to retain the pain, to harden to the call of God who seeks us to love one another and move beyond to even love our enemies.
The trigger of anger; "where there is anger look for the hurt". Where I read that I don't remember but it sank deep into my soul. As the anger rises and bubbles out, I seek the hurt.
Am I obligated to give to you? Is there never to be a partnership or a gratitude to those who gave, those who have never been here, those who do not know you but still give so you might have. A partnership, not servitude meant to lift one above another but sincerity, a genuine appreciation of effort. Will color always be a barrier? Is trust an impossibility?
Should I go home and give up? Even some of the boys to whom I have poured my energy here have no heart for giving back.
There it is, the point of hurt. I knew I found it when the tears fell. It is not a thank you I seek. It is the creation of hearts to carry on. The hope of nurturing hearts that love that are tender to suffering, that respond to the loving image of God within them and not the cursed greed and selfishness of the fallen man. In that, I have failed.
My energies as useless as used tissue paper; simply useless to create change, useless to touch hearts, useless to join hands. My life wasted according to me.

My heart fights the hardness and mistrust with every handshake. My heart fights the emotional distance that comes when my mind seeks motives. The anger that rises when the hand is out to be filled with money as if that is the only thing God created me for. It is not a hand of fellowship but a hand of entitlement; occasionally a hand of hope but usually one of demand.
According to me, at times I have rejected and neglected my own family for people with no gratitude, no desire but to fill their own selfish wishes with an attitude of entitlement. To find the sincere is as seeking the rare blue butterfly. And yet, THEY ARE THERE - Those who care, who give, who create and give love - THEY ARE THERE. I have met them. I have hired them. The one coin lost is sought and found.
If my life in Africa is to touch just ONE; if the entire purpose of my life, my effort, my calling is to never be seen by me, - Am I content to do my job?

Lord, may it be so.

2009-12-18T07:37:00.001-08:00

A donor gave the boys at the Joseph Waweru Home School 2 computers!! If anyone has Windows based software or Classic movies they want to donate please send them to EXOP 84 Payson Road Brooks, ME 04921 and I will carry them at the end of January.

2009-12-18T05:53:00.001-08:00

I will be in Maine for most of the month of January before I head back to Kenya. If your school, church, or civic organization would like me to come speak about the projects in Kenya and it is within a reasonable driving distance of Brooks, Maine. Send an email to info@expandingopportunities.org, I will be happy to come until the schedule is full. Thanks, Bev Stone

2009-12-16T06:37:00.001-08:00

BACK in the USA!! After a crowded but uneventful journey, it was wonderful to see my sister waiting in Boston. Thanks Lynne and Dave for getting me at the airport. I am now slept and fed and visiting with my Mom. Will update soon.

2009-12-10T09:11:00.001-08:00

A successful journey to Narok. Ellie saw traditional Maasai, will stay for a circumcision ceremony, and stalked giraffe!! We visited Tsaru, a well established Girl's Rescue Center, and found a wonderful location for Camp Forest Kenya!

2009-11-30T22:48:00.001-08:00

The update from our CARDPARTNER program revealed the benefits to Expanding Opportunities are enough this year to pay for one term of High School Boarding fees for a student! To learn about this program visit http://ping.fm/JvX8m or www.exop.org right side bar

2009-11-30T00:07:00.001-08:00

National AIDS Day is December 1. Here at the Joseph Waweru Home School in Mangu, Kenya we have a young man named Job. He is one of "our boys". He is bright, quiet, and polite. He can speak honestly, openly and with a great deal of insight for his age. He plays soccer and studies hard. He has aging loving grandparents and several uncles and aunts that keep in touch. We are blessed to have him in our Home. By the way he just so happens to be HIV+ from birth. Praise for him. Praise for Antiretrovirals, with self care he can live a full life. Let us pray for the cure!

Visit us at www.exop.org and join our FRIENDS at www.facebook.com
Invite someone to come speak to your church, school or civic group, email info@expandingopportunities.org

Forgotten People

2009-11-27T02:34:00.000-08:00

Northern Kenya is a land of vast expanses of dry acacia bush, and dusty clay, with a rugged, mountainous rocky backdrop. Hidden in its seemingly deserted and wild immensity lie many small villages, a thousand or so people in each living in small mud houses; living close to the land; in harmony and agony with the forces of nature. They are pastoralists, no longer roaming the length and breath of Africa but confined to smaller and drier spaces. In many cases they are a forgotten people. The road to their land is a crumbling hint at days long gone when there was a tar road. Now there is a small twisted and pitted path of tar in the middle of the road, more treacherous to traverse than the dirt trucking trails along the sides but beware of the deep erosion that can catapult you down the side of the mountain to be found in pieces at the bottom of the ravine.

But let us return to the people. In most areas of Kenya, you see signs of development. Buildings being built or repaired, roads being repaired and constructed, houses, people, vehicles. But in some areas, the people gather in the main building of the village, the church. Dressed in a mix of western second hand clothes or more traditional kanga and blanket, they laugh and sing and chat and cry. They are drawn close for protection, drawn close for support. The effects of global warming have reached those whose lives for centuries have been close to the land and in harmony with it. Now they suffer.

Most seek hope in their young people, in education. But where are the school? These forgotten people have little or no access to education. They are proud of the school the Red Cross came to build and struggle to find the funds to send their child to school.

“Madam, this boy would like to speak to you”. He is 13 and in Class 5. His English is perfect. Please help me, my mother is going to take me from school to help with the younger children. Top in his class and performing better than many in more developed schools, he desires education.

Primary children walk at least 6 kilometers one way to go to school each day! Lucky to make it through Class 8, your hope
dies. After Class 8 there is nowhere to go. The closest high school is 23 kilometers away! The cows and goats need to be grazed for survival. The cost of transportation and boarding school fees is beyond the means of most. The economy is in goats.

In some areas, the government Community Development Funds are active. Schools, dispensaries, and roads are being constructed and large signboards announcing the construction through CDF Funds and the constituency. In other areas live the forgotten people. Many of those who have traveled beyond their village, return to state, “We do not live in Kenya”.

The reasons for forgotten people are many: sensitive, political and remote but a key to the solution lies in education. A literate population is an empowered population. As global warming, country boundaries, governmental regulations, and even tourism have forced them to enter the larger world, so they need the tools to defend, protect and control their village. Education will allow their lifestyle choices to be theirs.

If you would like more information or to help contact us.
www.expandingopportunities.org -- info@expandingopportunities.org

2009-11-25T01:50:00.001-08:00

returned from bringing relief food to Northwestern Kenya. Oh my, it is a forgotten place. There was so much hunger-our help seemed so small, but it was help and appreciated. Thanks to AGI (Alternative Gifts International) we were able to assist. More later with pics

2009-11-15T04:07:00.001-08:00

Expanding Opportunities is deepening its work withthe GIRL CHILD! Just returned from Ariamet, near Isiolo, Kenya. Seems there is a great deal of need and support for the Kulea Girl's Rescue Center. They are deciding on the request for allotment of 5 acres for us next Wednesday!

2009-11-12T07:51:00.001-08:00

YEAH! Today is the last day of exams for our Standard Eight students. This exam means a lot - Samwel, Maina and Mbogwa all completed their exams today and all three felt good about their performance. They are now free. At the end of December, we find out the results and see which High Schools will take the boys next year. YEAH!! congratulations to them and all the other Standard Eight examinees!

2009-11-12T00:47:00.001-08:00

Heading to Isiolo this weekend for a meeting with the chief and other leaders to garner their support for the Kulea Girl's Rescue Home. Will be out of touch for a while. If you are interested in helping rescue girls from FGM and early marriage and encouraging the education of the girl child send an email to info@expandingopportunities.org for more information.

2009-11-09T04:33:00.001-08:00

Time to plan for the perfect CABIN FEVER RELIEVER Volunteering vacation. Take a look at http://ping.fm/8n1W7 Join us in Kenya!

2009-11-05T23:34:00.003-08:00

YEAH!! Yesterday after a long and confusing day - we met with the land board - a wonderful group of people who granted us the TITLE DEED. We can pick it up at the office on Monday!! YEAH!!

2009-11-05T23:34:00.001-08:00

YEAH!! Yesterday after a long and confusing day - we met with the land board - a wonderful group of people who granted us the TITLE DEED. We can pick it up at the office on Monday!! YEAH!!

2009-11-05T23:26:00.001-08:00

YEAH!! Yesterday after a long and confusing day - we met with the land board - a wonderful group of people who granted us the TITLE DEED. We can pick it up at the office on Monday!! YEAH!!

2009-10-31T22:20:00.001-07:00

We are planning a trip to NorthWestern Kenya to bring relief food to orphans. Transportation is the greater expense, but we will do it. If you want to help, go to http://ping.fm/ryF9V and help us out. Thanks, Bev